1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to a proximity sensor switch for operating a vehicle accessory, and more specifically, to a proximity sensor slide switch which uses nonmoving parts to operate a vehicle accessory.
2. Description of the Related Art
Vehicle accessory input controls typically consist of devices which require rotating a control knob, depressing a control button, or sliding a mechanical or electro-mechanical control switch to operate or adjust a vehicle accessory device. An exterior casing or oversize buttons and knobs are used to dress up and conceal the gaps between the bezel and the movable components of the input control devices. Despite the addition of these facial coverings to make the appearance presentable and visually appealing, the plurality of interlocking components leaves way for dirt and debris to lodge in the gaps and crevices between these interlocking components. This creates difficulty not only with respect to cleaning in these areas, but the potential exists to cause an interference condition. Covers, sealers, or boots may be used to seal and deter contaminants from entering these openings but these protector are require an additional cost to the vehicle manufactures which may be quite costly when multiple control input devices requires some type of protection device. Devices such as appliances have been known to use switches under the surface of a fascia of the appliance to create a sealed environment, however, these devices have been limited to a physical press and release operation, and furthermore, to increment or decrement a setting, the switch must be pressed and depressed multiple times or depressed and held for a certain duration of time.
Control input devices are typically manufactured from a plurality of cooperating subcomponents such as levers, rotating dials, and mechanical switches. As the number of interworking subcomponents increase for the assembly of a component, so do the potential failure modes and cost of the devices. This is the case for components that are moveable with respect to one another.